Free Reign
by Fareway
Summary: After having to meet up with the Lava Louts, Stoick assigns Hiccup to be temporary chief of Berk while he is away. Although the news is dreadful to Hiccup's ears, he does all that he can to keep Berk "above water". But with increasing stress and changing weather, things take a turn for the worse and Hiccup is faced with problems he only thought possible in his dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Authors: Fareway; HTTYD Frozen Forever**

**Free Reign**

**Fareway +1: Chapter 1**

* * *

The waves crashed against the sea stacks as hard as the morning air would allow. The water's surface glittered from the sun, sparkling with brilliant pink and fluorescent orange. The droplets scattered once they hit the solid rock; climbing up the side until they parted from one another and fell back down. The totems, standing strong on top of said sea stacks, held their wooden pose directly towards the rising sun. Not once were they blinded by its rays.

Not far from the sea stacks lay Berk, a descent size island that reached high up on its mountain slopes. Down closer to sea level stood the village of Berk; most of its people still asleep. Those who rose early stepped outside their homes and breathed in the fresh air with a grumbling stomach.

Up at the Haddock house, the two rooms were quiet. Stoick, who had awoken not long ago, walked towards the table with a tankard in his hand. He sat down in his chair and shuffled through some papers that he left to read this very morning. Just up the stairs was Hiccup's open room, the boy still snoozing under his covers while curled on his side, facing away from the steps. His eyes momentarily squeezed shut as his mind halted its dream and began to wake up. A yawn escaped his lips, his mouth opening wide as it was the first of his body to actually move. He leaned forward, wiping his eyes from their drowsy state and glance forward at Toothless on the slab. His eyes grew significantly once he realized the black form that should have been sleeping on the rock slab was not in fact there.

"Toothless?" he asked the emptiness, concern evident in his voice. He began glancing around for his friend, moving the covers off his legs and whipping them around to land on the wooden floor. Once doing so, however, he looked up and was frightened from the sudden appearance of an upside-down Toothless staring playfully at him.

Toothless' face was level with Hiccup's as the Night Fury opened its mouth with a toothless grin. His rider smiled and sighed,

"Toothless," he said with a slight chuckle. Toothless hopped down from his perch on the rafter and began nudging Hiccup in his stomach. Unfortunately for Hiccup, that was one of his tender areas and he couldn't help but laugh from the tickling sensation.

"Toothless! Okay, okay, hahaha, you're hungry, I get it!" he stated between his breathes. Toothless relaxed and allowed Hiccup to get up from the bed. The two walked down the stairs and Hiccup greeted his father.

"Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning, son." His father replied, not once looking up from the scroll-like letter in front of him. Hiccup sat down at the table and picked up his spoon to scoop up some of his soup left out for him. Toothless casually ventured over to the side and began digging his nose into the basket full of fish.

Hiccup noticed his father's concentration and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What is that?" he questioned, placing his spoon back into the bowl.

"It's a letter from the Lava Louts. They want us to meet today." Stoick answered, getting up from his seat.

"When are you leaving?" Hiccup asked, scooping up some soup and blowing on it to be rid of its intense heat.

"Right now, unfortunately." The chief replied while hurrying around to gather what he needed. "You're in charge until I get back."

The sudden news struck Hiccup hard and he quickly spit out the soup he just stuck in his mouth. With widened eyes, he looked over at his father in disbelief.

"What do you mean _in charge_?" he asked, but didn't want the answer he figured he was getting.

"I'm assigning you to be temporary chief until I get back." Stoick stated firmly, too much in a rush to stop and explain things more.

"Wha—but… what about Gobber? He's your right-hand man, why doesn't he get the promotion?" Hiccup said, standing up now.

"Gobber has to come with me, it'll be better if he does." Stoick replied, opening the door now and ready to head off.

"But why?" Hiccup's voice was laced with desperation as he quickly rushed over to his father and stood beside him out on the porch.

"Hiccup," Stoick said softly, placing his hands on his son's shoulders, "I know this is all so sudden for you, but it is for me too. You're the next one in line for the role and now it's your job that Berk remains safe until I return." He looked him in the eye, "Can you do that for me?"

Hiccup sighed and lowered his head, his eyes venturing down towards the ground.

"Yes." He said with a soft, defeating breath. Stoick smiled before turning to head down the hill and toward the docks.

* * *

The sun had finally arisen high above the horizon, the pink and orange hues that once glittered across the surface disappearing as its regular blue took over with the yellow rays. Sea gulls swooped low and graceful over the water, one such perching itself on a barrel of fish resting on the docks.

"Oh, no ya don't," Mulch said, shooing the gull off from the cask, "Our chief needs those supplies." He stated before picking up the barrel and handing it to another Viking who tossed it into a boat.

The docks were abuzz with Vikings, all rushing to ready the three ships that would be heading off with a full quota of men and supplies. This was an important voyage, for with it, came the re-signing of the peace treaty between the Lava Louts and the Hooligans.

"Hurry it up!" shouted Spitelout as he oversaw the loading of the main ship. "We have until noon!"

Stoick stood on the docks with his son while waiting for his boat to get loaded. Toothless sat patiently beside Hiccup, cooing a bit as he sensed his rider was bothered. He too watched curiously as the Vikings stuffed the boats with supplies.

"I've got my skivvies pack." Gobber proclaimed loudly as he hobbled over to stand beside Hiccup and Stoick.

"Good, then we can head out soon." With the announcement from his father, Hiccup looked down at the ground before glancing over at Spitelout.

"Why couldn't Spitelout be in charge?" Hiccup asked.

"Spitelout's not my son." Stoick replied while looking down at Hiccup. Gobber caught wind of the tension and tapped Hiccup's shoulder to get his attention.

"Don't worry, Hiccup. You'll do fine. Just remember everything I've taught you." He exclaimed.

Hiccup tilted his head, "But you only taught me smithy." He stated, confused.

"Exactly. If anyone starts giving you a hard time, you whack 'em over the head with a hammer." Gobber replied, hitting his hook against his hand for emphasis. Hiccup looked at him with surprise… and disagreement.

"Gobber, that's not how you run a tribe!" Stoick complained.

"That's how I would have done it." The one-legged man stated as he shrugged and headed over to the main boat.

"Which is why you're my _right-hand man_." Stoick said as his friend left his side. He turned his attention to his son who was looking down at the wooden floor again.

"Hiccup, just think of it as training. Don't try to solve the world's problems, just make sure everything is functional and people are getting along."

"You make it sound so easy." Hiccup replied, just now lifting his head up to look at his father.

"Yes I do, but you've got this. I know you do." The chief stated as he looked lovingly at his son before he was called to board.

"And don't worry, I'm sure your friends will be able to help." He said as he walked off to board his boat.

"Somehow that's not reassuring." Hiccup groaned as he thought about Snotlout and the twins. He walked over to the edge of the dock and watched as the three ships set sail.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" Stoick shouted as the ships moved further away from land.

Toothless walked casually up to Hiccup and sat down on his butt, looking out at the boats leaving the island. He cooed and turned his attention over to Hiccup, giving him a reassuring groan.

"This is going to be a **long** day."

* * *

**Writer's Note:**

**This story is going to be written by myself and a friend of mine, HTTYD Frozen Forever. The plus one in front of my name up at the top is the credit that goes to HTTYD Frozen Forever who was responsible for the idea of last part of the intro. He's going to be in charge of the even chapters while I take over on the odds.**

**Takes place after 2nd season finale.**

**We thank each and every one of you guys who take the time to read!**

**-I'd like to thank Fareway for giving me this amazing opportunity. She's sweet, kind, and a helping person. I'm happy we became friends and she's taken time to beta my stories. And I find myself extremely grateful that we get to present you with this collaboration.**

**~HTTYD Frozen Forever**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: We own nothing**

**Dreamworks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Authors: HTTYD Frozen Forever; Fareway**

**Free Reign**

**HTTYD Frozen Forever: +1**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

As the ships slowly disappeared off into the horizon for the meeting, the teens stood and watched from the edge of the academy. Well, technically half, as Hiccup was nowhere to be found and the twins had gotten into yet another brawl over their stuffed yak down near the pens. As soon as the long boats' sails were no longer visible, Astrid noticed a smug grin on Snotlout's face.

"Why are you so happy?" Astrid questioned Snotlout's expression.

"Isn't it obvious?" Snotlout replied, "Chief Stoick and Gobber are on a mission; no one's here to boss us around. We can do whatever we want!" Snotlout announced waving his hands up into the air before placing them on his thighs. Upon hearing Snotlout's shout, the twins walked over to where their friends were.

"Wait, there's no one in charge?" Tuff said right before he and his sister shared a look.

"Yeah!" They shouted in unison, head-butting each other before Ruff continued their thought, "Without any adults, there's no limit to our destruction."

"You guys really think Stoick would leave without having someone in charge of Berk?"Astrid retorted.

"Who's he gonna choose?" Snotlout countered.

"Guess who has to look after the entire village while my dad's gone?" Hiccup exasperatedly sighed as he rode in on Toothless and landed behind Snotlout.

"Are you SERIOUS!" Snotlout yelled, and turned away from Hiccup. Hiccup looked at him a bit confused, but not surprised.

"Wait, what?" Astrid exclaimed as her and the others, minus Snotlout, who proceeded to walk off in anger.

"Why did your dad leave it to you... not that there's anything wrong with it." Fishlegs asked politely. Snotlout snorted off in the distance as he heard Fishlegs' statement.

Hiccup sighed, "He said it would be good training for when I become chief."

"Well, I _can_ see the logic in that. It's common practice for the chief to..." Fishlegs cut himself off as Astrid gave him the 'not helping in any way' glare. "I'll be quiet now."

"Well, surely he didn't just leave you in charge of the whole village, right?" Astrid questioned.

"Unless of course you wanna help, I'm doomed." Hiccup rubbed his face in frustration.

"Of course we'll help you, Hiccup." Astrid assured him, "Right guys?" She said through clenched teeth at the other teens that were ignoring the situation.

"O-Oh, of course." Fishlegs replied, slightly terrified by Astrid.

"I guess we could help," Ruff replied, smacking her brother in the back of the head so he would followed up with it.

"As long as we can destroy stuff." he compromised.

"Well count me out!" Snotlout crossed his arms over his chest and stomped his foot down on the stony platform.

"Oh, come on, Snotlout," Astrid placed her hands on her hips.

"Why should I have to help him?" Snotlout glared at him, "What do I get out of it?"

"The satisfaction of helping your cousin and future chief." Astrid countered.

Snotlout looked at her sternly, "And...?"

"...**And **you can boss people around, act like a REAL leader." Astrid replied frustrated.

Snotlout smiled and climbed onto Hookfang, "Now _that_ I can do. Oh, and by the way Astrid, why would I need to act when I'm a natural born leader," He said before flex his "muscles".

"Urgh," Astrid groaned and rolled her eyes at Snotlout's ego before turning back to Hiccup.

"So, how do we get started? Your dad did leave you with instructions, right?"

"Nope," Hiccup sighed yet again.

"Then we make our own instructions," Astrid walked over to the chalk board they used for training and scribbled a rough outline of the village, dividing it into three equal parts.

"If we divide the village into three 'districts', we can have groups of two to deal with the problems in each area," She then proceeded to point out each district and the teens in charge, "Left 'District' will be left to Snotlout and Tuffnut; Plaza 'District', Hiccup and I, and Right 'District'will belong to Ruffnut and Fishlegs."

Wait, why am I stuck with Fishface? No offence, Fishlegs." Ruffnut gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"None taken." Fishlegs replied.

"Yeah, and why am I stuck with Snotbrains? Trying to be offensive, Snotlout." Tuff giggled.

"Because," Astrid retorted, "leaving you two in charge of the village together is about as safe as leaving a Monstrous Nightmare in a room full of Zippleback gas."

"And more importantly," Snotlout questioned, "Why are you helping Hiccup when you know it's better for lovers to work together." He puckered his lips and leaned in for a kiss.

"Gross!" Astrid backed away before smacking him upside the head.

"Ouch!"

"Okay, now that we've sorted out all of the who and where it's time we discuss the what and why. Has there been any complaints or demands yet?" Astrid questioned.

"None yet, but then again, I haven't seen many of the villagers," Hiccup replied, "I'll most likely be swamped with them at lunch."

"Oooh, speaking of which," Fishlegs added in, "I could really go for some lunch right about now." Right after saying this, his stomach growled.

"Woah, it sounds like you have a Terror in there." Tuffnut stated.

"Alright, we'll head over to the Great Hall." Hiccup announced. Fishlegs and the other's hopped onto their dragons and soared with Hiccup down the hillside to the Great Hall.

* * *

As the teens left the arena, they more than failed to notice the dragon perched on the high mountain ledge above them. I t continued watching them until they were out of sight, to which it then slowly crawled down the edge to get a better view of the village not too far away.

As it continued watching, it noticed the large amounts of meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, food as far as the eye could see. And wood, so much wood. A bounty of warm coziness and comfortable living mere yards away from where it was now.

With this new heaven in its sights, the dragon slowly crept back up the ledge to rejoin its brethren. It's queen would be immensely pleased by her new-found kingdom.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**HTTYD Frozen Forever here. Sorry that my first chapter's so short, everyone. I just had a wee bit of writers block. Hopefully next time it'll be better.**

**Fareway speaking. We thank all of you for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! Thanks for your patience and be looking out for Chapter 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: We own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Authors: Fareway; HTTYD Frozen Forever**

**Writer: Fareway**

**Free Reign**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Vikings buzzed by within the Great Hall as the teens journeyed over to their table. With the food sorted out onto their plates, they began to eat and discuss all that was planned in the day. All seemed calm and peaceful until word got around that they were now in charge, then the swarm came hurtling towards them. Each voice hollered their complaint, dilemma, concern, or opinion; and each voice said the same name of the new temporary chief over and over again.

Hiccup quickly backed up out of his seat and raised his hands as to not get run over by the statements he couldn't even hear. He opened his mouth and tried to speak over the booming words already exploding amongst one another. It was during these times that Hiccup loved to have his father or Gobber by his side.

Suddenly, and to Hiccup's great relief, Tuffnut hopped up onto the table and stood tall over the crowd of Vikings. With a loud shout of attention, he silenced all the others and brought all eyes up to his. Hiccup was about to thank him right before he opened his big mouth.

"Attention everyone! There is a thief among us! The person you stand next to could very well be the one that takes away what you hold so near and dear to your heart!" Tuff continued while acting out his "sorrow".

"I have been robbed! And it's only a matter of time before the thief strikes again!" Tuffnut hollered at the confused crowd. "Someone has stolen the last of the barley cake! And… it was mine!" He yelled, his eyes streaming over the crowd of confused Vikings.

"My precious food… I was saving that… for a special occasion!" His eyes ventured over to a familiar figure Tuffnut instantly pointed accusingly at the boy.

"I'm talking to you, Gustav!" he yelled. Gustav looked taken back and looked around innocently. Astrid groaned in response to his idiocy and roughly grabbed his arm, pulling him down so fast he nearly fell.

"Get down you idiot!" She growled as Tuffnut gasped from the harsh treatment. Hiccup took this time to stand up on his seat and address the crowd appropriately.

"Thank you, Tuffnut… I think…" he said, whispering the last part as he half-rolled his eyes.

"Okay, listen people, I know you all have things that need taken care of, or worked out, or whatever it is; I'll make sure to help each and every one of you as best as I can, and so will my friends here." He announced over the quiet crowd.

"I didn't take Tuffnut's barley cake!" Gustav yelled out, sounding slightly hurt from the false accusation.

"No, Gustav, I'm pretty sure you didn't. Don't worry… about that." Hiccup replied, softening the kid's spirit.

Hiccup looked out at the crowd once more, "I am not my father, but I will do my best as acting Chief to keep Berk safe and problems under control. Thank you." He announced before nodding his head and allowing the crowd to disperse. Then he proceeded to climb down from the bench and stand beside his friends.

"Well, we've calmed them down; now all we need to do is keep things in order." Astrid stated all the while looking out at the other Vikings.

"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Fishlegs stated with enthusiasm. The others looked at him and Fishlegs curled in on himself.

"It's not going to be a piece of cake to do." Hiccup replied to him.

"Or a piece of barley cake for that matter; which, by the way, I still think Gustav—" Tuffnut went on before Astrid elbowed him in the face.

"Will you pipe down; Gustav didn't take your barley cake…" She said, annoyed. Tuff was massaging his face to ease the pain before he piped up at what was said next. "… It was Snotlout." Snotlout, who was smiling at the enjoyment of seeing the twin getting hit in the face, suddenly became stiff. The two then proceeded to glare at one another, one with offensive take and the other in defense.

"Okay, that's enough." Hiccup said while walking in between the two and holding his hands out. "We need to focus on what's important here."

"Let's split up into our groups and take care of our districts. Now that everyone knows we're in charge, they'll come to us to solve any problems that arise." Astrid exclaimed.

"No lunch?" Fishlegs questioned sadly.

"Lunch will have to wait, Fishlegs." Hiccup replied.

"Great, can't wait." Snotlout retorted as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Next time Astrid talks me into something, slap some sense into me so I can get out of it." Snotlout commented irrelatively as he and Tuffnut stood in front of an arguing Mulch and Bucket.

Tuffnut huffed silently as his head and eyes were turned away from Snotlout.

"I'm not talking to you, thief." He growled. "But if you really want me to slap you, I'll be happy to do so." Snotlout glared at him, unamused by his childish games, before glaring off at the two Vikings in front of him.

"Bucket, I don't know how many times I have to tell you to do things! It's always the same thing!" Mulch complained.

"I don't remember all the stuff, Mulch!" Bucket yelled.

"Well, that's not my problem now is it?!" Mulch hollered back.

"Hold on, hold on. What's the problem here?" Snotlout stopped them, stepping forward a bit. Tuffnut glanced over at him and quickly turned around.

"I'll tell you what the problem is, because **I** am a _responsible_ leader and don't TAKE other people's possessions." Tuff stated as he pushed Snotlout aside, causing the Vikings to start fuming.

"You two clearly have some issues and it's obvious that they need to be solved with proper techniques." Tuffnut quickly bent down to the ground and zipped back up with two axes, one in each hand. "Here," he said and handed them to Mulch and Bucket. They each took one and glanced down at the weapons before looking up at each other.

"Knock yourselves out, literally." Tuffnut winked at the last part and gave the two a smirk. Bucket and Mulch glanced at each other again and raised their hands ready to bring on the blow. Snotlout's voice stopped them.

"That's not how you do it!" Tuffnut turned around and glared at his 'friend'.

"Only an idiot would play it old school." Snotlout stated as he walked over to Bucket and Mulch, pushing Tuffnut roughly aside as he did so. "Let me show you how a **real** leader does it." Snotlout grabbed the axes from them and turned around to face Tuffnut.

"Okay," Tuffnut snickered, "Let me go get Hiccup then."

"Hey! I'm just as good as a leader as _Hiccup_ any day. In fact, I'm the perfect example of leadership." Snotlout retorted.

"Uh huh, would a leader… oh I don't know, say… steal a man's barley cake?!" Tuffnut cried out.

"Oh this again?! Uhrrr, haven't you ever heard of letting go of the past?!" Snotlout and Tuffnut were now in each other's faces.

"Haven't you ever heard of what's mine, is… MINE?!"

"Finders keepers, loser's weepers…"

"It had my name written all over it!"

"I didn't see anything when I ate."

"So you admit it!"

"News flash, I never denied it!"

Bucket and Mulch were looking at the two with confusion before they glanced at each other.

"Uh, Mulch; what were _we_ arguing about?"

"Honestly, Bucket, I don't remember, but it had to have been as stupid as this." Mulch answered while pointing at Snotlout and Tuffnut.

"Oh… truce?"

"Truce old pal!" And the two happily shook hands. They glanced at the arguing pair and shook their heads, walking off back to their farm to continue their chores.

* * *

**Writer's Note:**

**Fareway here. Sorry for this chapter taking so long, I had college projects that needed tended to and those really need my attention first. I was going to update Saturday, but got a small writer's block.**

**In other news, today is my birthday! And my boyfriend got me the greatest present(s) EVER! Two HTTYD 2 posters (one with all of the riders on their dragons with Hiccup holding his flame sword, and the other the Hiccup and Toothless character poster) as well as four dragon figures! I picked out the figures and I couldn't have chosen a better package! It contained a pink Terrible Terror, and of course I had to have it since it's my favorite dragon, the most adorable Toothless I've ever seen, a skrill that looks like a BOSS, and that new giant frosty-white dragon, the Bewilderbeast, which, by the way, looks like a BEAST—it's in his name.**

**Anyway enough of that, I hope you all enjoy reading our story and be looking out for the next chapter. Hopefully HTTYD Frozen Forever will do better with updates then I; hahaha.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: We own nothing****  
****Dreamworks Dragons: Defenders of Berk****  
****Authors: HTTYD Frozen Forever; Fareway****  
****Writer: HTTYD Frozen Forever (3/4), Fareway**

* * *

"As the sun slowly crept to the western skies, Fishlegs and Ruffnut continued their trek to their next destination. They were doing quite good at the moment. From the time of noon they had helped to settle a dispute with the Larson and Svenson kids, assisted Hoark in moving several barrels of pickled herring up to the fishmongers, and found Phlegma's stolen ax. Now, near the evening hours, they were coming down from Gothi's house after helping her sort out a few ingredients she needed.

"Sooo..." Fishlegs asked awkwardly, "H-How are you?" Ruffnut turned to face him, giving a dumb look and shrugging her shoulders.

"O-oh," Fishlegs silenced himself. He had never been alone with Ruffnut before, and the fact that they weren't talking made it even more awkward. If the tension were any thicker, you couldn't even cut it with a knife.

"As they were walking, both of which who were looking down at the ground, they saw a large, black shadow. As it passed, the light engulfed them for a second before another came. They looked up to find Hiccup and Astrid flying overhead before swooping down and landed in front of them.

"Guys, we've got a problem," Hiccup exclaimed as he landed and gestured for Fishlegs to climb up onto his saddle, Astrid doing the same for Ruff.

"What kind of problem," Ruffnut questioned as she gripped Astrid's waist.  
"Have a guess?" Astrid replied before they jolted off to their next destination.

"For Thor's sake!" Snotlout screamed as Tuffnut held him in a deadlock, "It was just barley cake!"

"No, it was MY barley cake?" Tuff corrected angrily as Snotlout freed himself, "I don't steal your biscuits!" Tuffnut argued, pointing at the other. At this, Snotlout charged, only for Tuff to grab a sword on the floor and smack him in the face using the flat side. By now, a crowd of Vikings had gathered around the two brawling teens; some cheering them on, others laughing hysterically, and some just face palming themselves. Before they could do any further harm to each other, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Toothless landed in front of them, followed shortly by Astrid, Ruffnut, and Stormfly.

"Snotlout, Tuffnut; I told you two to solve problems, not create more!" Hiccup yelled, climbing off Toothless and rubbing his temples.

"He won't stop attacking me!" Snotlout screamed.

"Because he ATE MY BARLEY CAKE!" Tuff retorted.

"Tuffnut! How many time must I say this?! Get over it!" Hiccup shouted at the teen, his patience running dangerously thin.

"I never heard him say that." Ruffnut groaned quietly to Astrid as the later just looked at her.  
"Oh, I see. You're going to take Snotlout's side!" Tuffnut threw the sword down and growled, "This is exactly what happened with Macey!"

"What are you talking about?!" Hiccup exclaimed, trying as best as he could to keep his cool, but Tuff was only making matters worse.

"See! He never lets go of the past!" Snotlout added with a held out hand.

"Oh shut up, Snotlout! This is just as much as your fault as it is his!" Astrid hollered from on top of Stormfly.

"Alright, everybody stop!" Hiccup yelled, holding his hands out. At the motion, Toothless raised his head and shot a plasma blast into the sky, which, of course, then burst into a crackling light. The crowd settled and shouts were silenced.

"Now that I have all of your attention." Hiccup stated more calmly, "Tuffnut will get another barely cake—to which no one will eat—and Snotlout will be switched out with Fishlegs." He ordered.

* * *

On the second day, the problem was, again, Snotlout...

"This is such a disgusting job," Snotlout exclaimed as he walked through the piles of feces and mud left by the boars they had been assigned to help Bucket and Mulch in cleaning out the farm.

"How about you quit whining, Ms. Jorgenson," Ruffnut mocked while still keeping an angry face at him, "Come on, I need a hand moving Bjorn Boar."

As Snotlout walked over, his foot landed awkwardly and he slipped. Frantic he grabbed out for anything, unfortunately gripping Ruffnut's braid, before falling into the mud, pulling Ruffnut with him.

"You, TROLLFACED, LOKI LOVING, HOG!" Ruffnut screamed in utter rage before pouncing on Snotlout and grabbing his helmet by the horns before mushing his face into an untouched mud pile.

After that incident, Hiccup had no choice but to partner the twins with each other.

* * *

On the third day, the problem was Mildew...

"You want me to help plant your... cabbages?" Hiccup stated with disbelief. Astrid stood beside him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeees," Mildew replied tiredly, "They're so many to do in so little time and my back is starting to ache. Help an old man out, Hiccup." he said sincerely. Hiccup looked into Mildew's eyes and mentally cringed. It was bad enough having to deal with Snotlout and the twins, working the whole day with Mildew would probably kill him.

He smiled, "Alright. Astrid, go get the twins, they can help Mildew." Astrid nodded and turned around to hop onto Stormfly's saddle. Mildew gazed at them in disbelief.

"Wha—you're giving me the twins?!" he exclaimed. Hiccup turned around and started towards Toothless before looking back at the old, gray man.

"Yes, I'm giving you the twins." he said firmly before joining Astrid on his own dragon.

"Think of it this way, Mildew; now you have two extra set of hands to help you out. We just cut your work load in thirds." Astrid stated with a smirk before she and Hiccup took off into the sky on Stormfly and Toothless.

Mildew growled as he watched them leave.

* * *

**Fareway: That's it for this chapter, I had a rough time fixing it up. I forgot to set the setting to doc x when uploading it into my files after downloading it so all of the code got written in with the text. Then I had to individually correct each line and delete the code from the text to finally get the: **_**what it is supposed to look like**_** version and that took about 1 ½ hours. My apologies for missing anything.**

**Happy fun times!**

**We thank you all for reading and the next chapter will be mine to work on. It's also where the fun begins… evil face**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: We own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Authors: Fareway; HTTYD Frozen Forever**

**Free Reign, Chapter 5**

**Writer: Fareway**

* * *

A loud knock sounded on the large wooden door and Hiccup stood up from his seat to drag him over and open it. The tired boy was quite surprised to find Alvin at his doorstep as he gazed at the man with confusion.

"Alvin?" Hiccup addressed. "Aren't you supposed to be with my father at the meeting?" He questioned.

Alvin chuckled, "That meeting is for Berk, and Berk only. Allies have no part in it." He responded in his deep, raspy voice. "Besides, I wasn't invited." He added as he casually walked in.

"Why are you here then?" Hiccup questioned as he closed the door while keeping an eye on the older one.

"I figured I'd come by and check on the new Temporary Chief." Alvin replied, turning around to look at the young heir and rest his hands on his hips.

"Uh, thanks—I guess—but I'm doing just fine; everything is taken care of." Hiccup replied.

"You don't look fine." Alvin stated factually.

"I never asked for your opinion." The boy softly growled.

"You know Hiccup, I have some experience with chiefing. You can always come to me for advice." The man attempted on persuasion.

"No offense, Alvin, but I wasn't exactly thinking of your kind of leadership." Alvin muttered something inaudible in response. Hiccup took no notice to it as he sat back down in his seat at the table.

"Besides, I have it handled." Hiccup re-stated as he picked up the feather beside the book and dipped it in the small jar of ink.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup;" Hiccup looked up from the table, at no one in particular, with half-opened eyes of no amusement.

"When are you going to let people help?" Alvin questioned, grabbing hold of Hiccup's chair to loom over his shoulder. He had an eerie look to his face as the shadows from the fire danced gently across his features.

Hiccup turned around in his chair, "I **do** ask for help, but only from people I _trust_, Alvin." The room was filled with silence, except for the fire crackling, as heir and former enemy stared for dominance in the conversation. Toothless moved his eyes between the two before landing on Hiccup and cooing. Neither of the Vikings looked at him, but Hiccup did lift his hand to pet his beloved friend's head.

"It's getting late." Hiccup stated, allowing his eyes to drop back down to the Book of Dragons. Alvin scowled, but otherwise kept his cool.

"Indeed it is. I'll be here tomorrow if you need me." Alvin's tone made Hiccup want to rethink his opinion of the man. He looked up as Alvin disappeared behind the door, it closing shut. Toothless came around to face him, nudging his head into Hiccup's hands. He gazed at the boy as he sensed the confusion swirling around in his head.

"I don't understand, Toothless. My father can trust Alvin; why can't I?" He confided. Toothless huffed in response and looked at his friend with honesty.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Dad doesn't _completely_ trust him." Hiccup said as he smiled and returned to his work on the Book of Dragons. "I don't think anyone can." He added. Toothless chortled in agreement before laying his head down on the table; his eyes following the movement of Hiccup's hand.

Suddenly, a loud sound resonated from the door again and Hiccup and Toothless peered over at the entry way.

Hiccup sighed and lay his feather pen down, "Don't tell me it's _him_ again." He growled, but upon opening the door, his grumpy attitude flew away.

"Oh, Astrid." He said in a much happier tone.

"Did Alvin stop by, because I just saw him—" She stated, but didn't bother finishing.

"Yeah, don't ask." Hiccup replied, his exhaustion coming back.

"Still tired from today's chiefing?" she wondered, walking in, but keeping the door open as she stood just shy of it.

"Who wouldn't be?" Hiccup exasperated.

"Well, I hate to make things worse, but we've got to go check inventory at the forge." Astrid informed.

"What, why?"

"Gobber left a letter insisting that we maintain the forge." She answered.

"Do we have to do it tonight?" Hiccup moaned. Astrid just gave him that look and placed her hands on her hips. Hiccup sighed in defeat, "Fine."

* * *

The small inset was enough space for the fiery dragons to climb on top of each other in a pile. They curled around and layered themselves into a ball of gold light as they filled the small space hidden between the wood.

The village was perfect for a home, and the labyrinth of caves underneath would provide the perfect concealment for their queen. The only problem was the Vikings still residing in the houses. But that would be an easy fix once the numbers came from the caves…

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Hiccup and Astrid walked the short distance from the Chief's house to the forge. Toothless followed behind the two, his black skin blending well with the night. He stopped and sat down just outside the door, yawning and resting his head to take a nap as Hiccup and Astrid did whatever it was that they were doing.

"Alright, let's get started." Hiccup's voice could be heard clearly from outside.

"We should start with the shelves." Astrid suggested.

Toothless paid no mind to what they were talking about. It was late at night and all he planned on doing was sleeping.

"Toothless!" At the call of his name, Toothless opened one tired eye and perked up on ear.

"Can I get some light, bud?" Hiccup asked with a smile as he held up a torch taken from the wall. The black dragon groaned, but otherwise opened his mouth to fire a breathless plasma blast. Hiccup flinched from the small explosion before smiling as light was given unto his hands. He used it to see what he was doing as he poked the embers back to life in the pit.

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Whispering buzzes and hisses sounded from the dragons as they rested among each other. The closer they were, the brighter they got. However, their light didn't matter between the wood as it was their heat given off that posed a threat.

Toothless snored softly as he breathed in and out. Curled up in a Night Fury ball, the black dragon rested peacefully outside of the forge.

Suddenly, his ears perked up as his nose began to twitch. His eyes blinked open from their slumber right before he lifted his head. Toothless sniffed the air for a second or two, and then narrowed his eyes once he turned to the left.

A small light radiated off of a single Fireworm as the little dragon sat vertically on a rock. Toothless walked up to the fiery stoker and warningly growled. A strange tension filled the air as Toothless threatened the little beast away. He watched as the Fireworm's light slowly faded from view.

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Hiccup picked up a mace that lay on the wooden table in the forge. Gravity brought the weapon down towards the ground, but didn't quite grasp it as Hiccup held firm onto the handle. He was familiar with the weapon's weight.

"Mace," He stated with a slightly strained voice as he passed the mace over to Astrid's hands.

"Mace." She repeated, mentally checking the iron tool off the list once it was placed on it holding rack on the wall.

The minute Hiccup let go of the mace, a sudden burst of heat hit his face, and he exhaled deeply. _Did it just get really hot in here?_ He thought as he looked over at the pit. _It can't be the pit, I just scattered the cinders._

His eyes suddenly shifted over to the left as his ears picked up on a familiar sound. A crackling hiss, very soft and almost inaudible.

"You hear that?" he questioned to Astrid without looking over at her.

"Hear what?" she asked, not picking up on the noise. But as she stopped moving and listened, she heard it.

"It's coming from over here." Hiccup said as he made his way over towards the far end of the wall. The young Viking knelt down beside the wood and gently placed his hand against it. The sudden burn and sharp pain caused him to retract his limb immediately all the while shouting out his short agony.

"You okay?" Astrid asked, approaching him quickly. "What happened?"

"It's hot…" Hiccup informed, confusion written on both of their faces. He stood up and grabbed a metal bar laying on the table. With both hands, he jammed the bar in between a crack and tore open the wood. Light gushed into the darker room, Astrid and Hiccup both having to shield their eyes for a few seconds.

The huddled group of dragons started hissing louder as the Vikings were in view. Astrid and Hiccup gazed down at them with surprise before looking at each other.

"Fireworms?" They said in unison.

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Toothless snorted to himself as he watched with unhappy eyes as the little Fireworm pest disappeared. He understood perfectly why the humans thought them useful. They were a great light source. Small, containable, and having more of them meant brighter or duller lights—controllable. That's more to say then for a Nightmare…

But for Toothless, and pretty much all other dragons, they were a nuisance. They were like spiders, you always found them no matter where you went. Especially from times before, Toothless would fly down from the skies to catch some fish at a nearby lake or pond. Every other time, he was accompanied by them and had to protect his fish.

No, wait; those were Terrible Terrors…

Despite the short story, dragons didn't like Fireworms. It always felt easy for them to just… overrun.

Toothless huffed out a breath and twitched his nose a bit before getting off of his butt and walking back over to the forge. But something caught his attention and the black dragon halted. He sniffed the air and immediately reacted with broad eyes. Upon turning around, the soft glow from the small Fireworm returned, except different. The light was no longer soft, but now hard; the glow no longer small, but big; and the noise of hissing became more apparent than Toothless ever dreamed of.

The Night Fury roared in warning as he saw what was coming.

* * *

Toothless' roar was easily heard by the two teens, and both of them whipped their heads up towards his call.

"Toothless?!" Hiccup called as he started off to his friend. Suddenly, a scream sounded from behind him and he turned to witness the Fireworms from the wall jump onto Astrid.

"Hiccup!" she screamed as the little dragons began biting and burning her skin.

"Get off her!" Hiccup yelled as he grabbed the torch from the wall and began swinging it around near the beast. Oddly enough, even though the Fireworm's skin burns hotter than the sun, they didn't like fire. Astrid fell down on the wooden floor as the Fireworms scattered and escaped out the doorway.

"Astrid, are you okay?!" Hiccup practically hollered as he rushed over to her side. She was breathing deeply, but awake, looking at her arms as burns littered her skin.

A screech Hiccup has only heard once before sounded dangerously nearby. Both of their heads popped up from the noise as a large glow began to scrawl towards the entrance of the forge. As the light crept closer, Hiccup and Astrid heard Toothless roaring angrily.

"Toothless?" Hiccup questioned as he dare not leave Astrid's side, but ever so wished he could find his pal. A plasma blast fired and hit the forge's doorway, causing the teens to flinch.

"Astrid, we have to—" Fire engulfed the forge walls, cutting Hiccup off. Another blast hit the failing structure, and soon, Hiccup and Astrid were rushing out. Out of nowhere, a force pushed Hiccup and Astrid to the ground. Hiccup's hold on her faltered and she was lost in the night's burning smoke that covered the village.

Hiccup fell on his back as the force knocked him over, a sudden pain resonating from his lower body. Upon looking down, he found parts of the forge's roof laying on his legs. He struggled to lift the wood up, but failed and caused the large piece to shift bringing more pain then what was needed.

"Astrid! Toothless!" He yelled. A roar from above called him to look up as he saw Hookfang hovering on fire. The Nightmare was firing at something, but when Hiccup looked over, all he could see was smoke and ash. Through the smoke, however, a large light emerged and from it came a blast of flames directed towards Hookfang. The dragon quickly flew out of the way, safe from harm, but now the light was closing in on Hiccup.

Out of the smoke, roaring and hissing, emerged a giant Fireworm; it's serpent head whipping back and forth as her eyes picked up on the other dragon's locations.

Hiccup gasped, "Fireworm Queen." He whispered. The Queen peered down at the trapped boy, and hissed. Using her many legs, she climbed over the debris and lowered her head right down to him. Before Hiccup could lift his hand up to try and calm the beast, she flicked her tongue and struck the boy's arm. Hiccup gasped, and moved his arm away. Suddenly, it felt like the smoke was starting to suffocate him as his breathes began to quicken and his heart began to beat faster. His vision swayed and his limbs began to go numb as a strange heat overwhelmed his veins.

The last thing he heard was Toothless screeching…

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**Author's Note:**

**Oh, you don't know how long it took me to get this chapter done. I started it during my quarter and man were my classes piling on projects and due dates. I must say though, this took way longer than I had hoped. Still though, it is a long chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Sorry for the terrible delay, not just on this story, but on my other stories. Thank you for reading and have a great summer! -because mine only lasts for 2 weeks :/**


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